I don’t like the idea of him out there with no obligation to me. He literally owes me nothing—I’mthe one locked up in here! What if I’m in here so he can control the world around me, and I’m none the wiser?
But when he returns with a small bag, I try to get myself together. I can’t ruin the opportunity to be alone with my thoughts. Ineedit. I need to be reminded that Judge isn’t the only thing that exists in this world, and that being constantly flooded with his scent makes it impossible to think clearly. He places the bag on a table before getting one of the blankets, draping it over my shoulders, before he sits across from me.
He motions for me to give him my hand.
I watch in silence as he grabs a few things from the bag, including what smells like a small bottle of liquor. He pulls out a syringe needle and vial, filling it to about half a milliliter before I ask, “What is that?”
“Numbing agent. You need that stitched.”
“I can?—”
“So can I.” He swats at my hand that’s covering the wound. “Unless you really want me to sit here and watch you fumble around with one hand trying to stitch the other?”
I stare into his eyes, the ones with a color that reminds me of the massive history of his life that I barely know the surface of. That maybe, just maybe, he really is a man who finds value in omegas.
In scent matches.
Because everyone has to hope for something, don’t they?
“Okay,” I say, removing my hand as blood begins to spill again. I watch as Judge numbs the area before flushing it with water, and then applying alcohol onto the wound. It’s always recommended to use it, since it kills healthy tissue, but I alsodon’t want to risk infection at all. Some of the sting prevails, but it’s otherwise pretty mild with whatever he gave me.
He grabs a sewing needle and begins to add a few stitches to my hand, amazed he can even properly use one with the size of his hands. They’re so calloused and scarred, making for such a unique image as he delicately handles my wound.
“What is going to happen to me up here while you’re gone?” I ask, looking over his face, which has the thinnest scruff on it.
“Kitty will be here,” he quietly replies, the slight imperfection of his lower teeth visible when this close. “Because I still don’t trust Ravina.”
“Why not?” I ask.
He is so gentle with threading my flesh. “I can’t tell you all the details, but she thinks her position of arranging matches supersedes my authority. And seeing as you’re not a normal scrap, I can only imagine she thinks it’s best to socialize you before the other alphas get wary.”
“Well, it might be worth it? I could really use the other omegas.”
With a blink, his gaze rises to meet mine. “Iwillkill anyone who comes near you who hasanyintention to try to touch you. It’s not a good idea. I can’t have that stress while I’m gone.”
It’s not even said with the same possessive tone as before. It’s a literal warning, like it’ll be my fault if someone dies if I let such a thing happen. If it were the first night he took me? I’d roll my eyes or think he’s nuts.
But my body is filled with that sedated effect that his smell has on me. There’s no point in trying to deny he’s my scent match anymore. Which if true, then what if he continues to keep me here for two more months, not just two weeks? Will I even have the ability to run away from him, or will that hurt too much by then?
I also feel like I’ve experienced far too much in this life to just believe the words he tells me.
I don’t reply to him.
Judge continues to gently pull my bleeding flesh back together. “I’m going to meet a white flag rider from the Bayou’s Maw, which is Titan’s gang.” He ties the end of the string, and I’m barely breathing, staring at his face as I’m desperate foranythinghe’s about to say. He keeps his eyes on my hand, cleaning it and applying a balm as he continues, “I don’t like that Titan is making these moves. It’s too coincidental with your appearance. It’s why it’s important, Diana, that you don’t leave this space while I’m gone, on the off chance someone forgets to lock a door.”
Judge pulls his hands back to grab some bandaging, and I don’t think I even move to breathe as I stare at him with wide eyes, waiting for more.
His pale eyes flit to me, as if to confirm I’m listening, before he resumes his work. “I might carry a heavy reputation, but I’m not agod. You are safest inmyterritory, and even more so, a ghost, for now. It’s not uncommon for omegas to appear and then disappear within our walls to go be with alphas. As I said before, it’s what people believe has happened to you. If they learn you’re up here, they’ll all know I’ve taken you for myself.”
Well, shit. That actually makes a lot of sense. “How could Titan learn?”
“Dominion is too large to believe that rumors don’t spread that shouldn’t,” he carefully replies. “He would know by the end of the week if word ever got out.”
Judge puts a pin in my bandages to keep them together. “That is why,” he continues, finally looking me in the eyes as he speaks, “No one knows you’re my scent match except for less than a handful here.”
My eyes flit back and forth between his before my gaze slowly falls down his body, then down to my hand that he just patched up. Well, this isn’t a great position to be in. “So I just have to wait until he croaks?”
His lips form into the smallest smile. “If I’m worth any of my reputation, he’ll croak sooner rather than later.” His eyes deadpan, a flash of the same Judge that overtook New Bunker returning. “Don’t ever ask me about that, though. And don’t ever share that withanyone.”
